In a recent edition of his TIPS newsletter, Philip Humbert writes, "Harry Truman didn't find a career until late in life. He didn't marry until well into his thirties, and before that he tried a variety of jobs and ventures, including farming and selling men's clothing. His clothing store went bankrupt and he referred to himself as a 'failed haberdasher' for the rest of his life. Because of poor eyesight, he barely made it into the Army, but served with distinction and courage in World War I. In his 40's and 50's he drifted into politics and served as a county commissioner, mainly dealing with road repair.

"He never had money and he and his wife spend most of their married life living upstairs in his mother-in-law's home. When he was elected to the U.S. Senate, he was seen as a party hack and given little respect. In 1944, Franklin Roosevelt selected him to run for Vice President after the 'better' candidates were all rejected. FDR thought so little of him, they never had a serious conversation and Truman was told nothing about the atomic bomb until several days after he was sworn in as the new President.

"And yet this 'common man' is often viewed as one of the greatest Presidents of the 20th century. How can this be? Truman himself often said that there 'are probably a million people more qualified than me to be President, but I'm the one with the job, and I'll do my best.' Throughout his life, he was always known for doing his best, and often astonished people by exceeding their expectations. . . .

"John Gunther, the American writer and war correspondent, told me that he had asked one of the censors for the text of our leaflet which we dropped over Germany," Harold Nicholson once recalled. "The request was refused. He asked why. The answer was, 'We are not allowed to disclose any information which might be of value to the enemy.' When Gunther pointed out that two million of these leaflets had been dropped over Germany, the man blinked and said, 'Yes, something must be wrong there.'"[Trivia: According to Gunther, immediately before World War II, an American journalist wrote home to a friend: "Don't know if this will ever arrive because the Japanese censor may open it." Some time later, he received a notice from the Japanese post office: "The statement in your letter is not correct. We do not open letters."]

Gunther, John (1906-1970) American journalist and author [noted for his memoirs (Death Be Not Proud) and for such works as Inside U. S.A., Inside Europe (1936) and other books in the Inside series]

I had the flu and gratefully crawled back into bed one Saturday morning, leaving my husband to tackle household chores and oversee our three active boys. A short time later I was awakened by an argument outside my door. My husband tiptoed in, looked at his watch and after what was apparently a suitable amount of time turned to leave. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"I've just asked your permission to use the dishwasher," he replied in a conspiratorial whisper. "I've been informed that I may be home today but Mom runs the house."

Between 1927 and 1941, Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers sculpted the 60-foot busts of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln to represent the first 150 years of American history.

Rushmore Facts:

1. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum began drilling into the 5,725-foot mountain in 1927, at the age of 60.

2. Creation of the Shrine of Democracy took 14 years and cost a mere $1 million.

3. Rushmore's granite faces tower 5,500 feet above sea level.

4. The carvings on Mount Rushmore are scaled to men who would stand 465 feet tall.

5. Each head on Mt. Rushmore is as tall as a six-story building.

6. More that 800 million pounds of stone were removed from Mount Rushmore while carving the presidents.

7. Each president's face is as tall as the entire Great Sphinx of Egypt, measuring 60 feet from the chin to the top of the head.

8. The president's noses are 20 feet long, each mouth 18 feet wide and the eyes are 11 feet across.

9. The workers had to climb 506 steps daily to get to the top of Mount Rushmore.

10. Gutzon Borglum died in 1941, shortly before the carvings were completed. His son, Lincoln, oversaw the final work.

11. The mountain itself was originally named for Charles E. Rushmore, a New York lawyer, investigating mining claims in the Blacks Hills in 1885.